Universal joint



A. G.-HERRES HOFF AND A. H. LEIPERT.

UNIVERSAL JOINT.

APPLICATION nus 05c. 23. 1919.

Patented May 2, 1922.

INVE/VTUR v ALEXANDER GRISWOLD HERRESHOFF AND AUGUST H. LEIPERT, OF NEWYORK, N. 'Y..

UNIVERSAL JOINT.

Patented Ma 2,1922.

Application filed December 28, 1919. Serial No. 346,916.

city of New York, and in the borough of Queens of the city of New York,in the State of New York, have jointly invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Universal Joints, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forminga part hereof. I

This invention relates-to an improved universal joint in which thedriving torque is applied from the driving-member to the driven memberalong straight force lines which are co-incident with the axes of the Itransmitting elements rather than angularly thereto as is the commonpractise. In universal joints of known types, the transmitting elementsbetween the driving and driven members have imposed thereon divergingstresses which lessen the efiiciency of transmission and imposeobjectionable shearing stresses thereon. The principal object of thepresent invention is to provide a universal joint which is of simple andinexpensive construction, easy to assemble, .flexible in character so asto accommodate itself readily to varying degrees of angularity betweenthe driving and the driven members and in which the driving torque istransmitted by elements which extend along straightlines co-incidentwith the lines of force'of the driving torque. A further object of theinvention is to provide in a joint of the character described improvedspacing means whereby the driving and driven members are maintained inproper spaced relation-- ship and are permitted free angular move mentwith relation to'such spacing device. The invention willbe describedwith greater particularity in connection with the accompanying drawinginwhich- 5 Figure l is a view in vertical section through a jointconstructed in accordance with the invention. I

Figure 2 isa view in elevation of one'of the plates of the joint, aportion of the transmission element being broken away to show itsinterior construction. It may be assumed for the purposes of thisdescription that the shafta; is the drive shaft and is'to be connectedoperatively with the other shaft 6, which may be termed the drivenshaft, with capacity for universal movement betweenthe two shafts.Oneelement of the improved universal joint may comprise a plate 0, whichis of disc form and is keyed to the shaft a and a-correspond- 1ngelement of the improved joint may be formed as a plate 03, alsopreferably of disc form and keyed to the other shaft 12. The

problem is to transmit the driving torque I from the plate a to theplate 03 while allowing for universal movement between such plates. Inaccordance with the invention there is interposed between these plateswhat will hereafter be termed a transmission element 6, the structure ofwhich constitutes the principal feature of the invention. Ihistransmission element 6 is, in cross section, of hyperbolic form and'ismade up of a series of intersecting flexible straight cords f of anysuitable material, each of which cords extend in a straight line fromthe periphery e of one side of the transmission element to the peripherye of the other side of the transmission element. As shown in Figure 2,when these straight cordsare viewed on a section transverse to thetransmis'sion element 6, they will appear as cords of the circle onwhich the element is laid out. Certain of these cords f extend from oneside of the transmission element 6 to the other in one direction while.certain others of the cords extend from the last named side of thetrans- -mission element to the first named side in the oppositedirection, the result being; that such oppositely extending cordsintersect adjacent the mid-section of the element and give to itthehyperbolic form shown in Figure 1. As a carrier for these cords they maybe imbedded in rubber or other suitable material, so as to form 'acoupling which may be handled conveniently and assembled anddisassembled with the discs 0, (Z. As a convenient means of attachmentof the'transmission element e to these discs there are illustratedflanged rings 9' which engage the opposed faces of the element adjacentthe peripheries e, e and slide snugly over the peripheries of the plates0, d. These retaining rings g may be bolted in place by means ofbolts h.l

described its action cannow be understood. When the plate 0, is rotatedin a clockwise direction the driving torque will be transmitted to theplate d through one of the sets of straight cords f, this set being theone described as extending from the pej So far as the improved joint hasbeen.

riphery e? ofthe transmission element to the periphery 6 thereof. Atthis time the with relation to the first named cords do not serve astransmission elements. 'If, however, the direction of rotation of theplate a is reversed, then the driving torque is transmitted to thedriven plate d through the second named set of cords, the first namedset then becoming inactive as transmission elements. In elther event, itwill be evident that the lines of force of the driving torque coincidewith the straight transmission elements 7, each line of force serving,in effect, to impress a straight pull along each cord f. This is a moste cien't and advantageous relation sinceno-undue strains through variedangles are imposed.

on any of the elements of the joint. At the same time the structure isone which per mits free angular movement between the shafts a, b,without any lessening of. the efficiency of transmission since the forcelines always remain co-incident with the cords f by which the drivingtorque istlflris- -mitted.

Another feature of the invention iscon-v c'erned with improved devicesfor holding the plates'c, (Z in spaced relationship regardless of theirangular movement. In the ililustrated embodiment, the shafts a, b areshown as having threaded 011 their proximate ends nuts a, I) which serveas retaining devices for the plates 0, (l, respectively, and which havetheir ends recessed, as at a 5 respectively, to rovide spherical seatsfor a generally sp erical spacing block 2'. This block 11 mayconveniently be of rubber, so as to yield in one direction or the otheralong its axis to accernmodatechanges in angularity between 'the shaftsa, b, and

this without subjecting the block to wear on its surface". The block 71may be somewhat under compression, when of resilient material, so astohold the plates and shafts in spaced relationship, and since it is notsubject to Wear, there is-little likelihood of any looseness in thejoint occurring. course, the spacer i might be of metal and of sphericalform, so as to permit relative movement on its surface between it andthe seats a b and while varying an gularity between the shafts and theplates would thus be afforded there would be some degree of wear on thesurface of the spacer and this wear would ultimately .result inlooseness.

The-characteristic features of the invention will be set out-in theappended claims with such scope as to indicate the permissi- .one-end tothe first named disk and secured fixedly at the other end to the secondnamed disk, the second named transmission elements extending in theopposite direction of rotation of the disks from the first namedtransmission elements and crossing the first named transmlssionelements, respectively,

at points between the disks, all of said transmission elements extendingalong straight lines between the disks to apply the lines of drivingforce along straight lines.

,2. "A universal joint including Spaced disks, a unitary non-metallictransmission elementfixedly secured thereto and formed as a flexiblefabricated cylindrical body of hyperbolic form in cross section andhaving straight cords extending from one side of the cylindrical body tothe other and in opposite directions of rotation and crossing,respectively, at points between thedisk-s and extending, respectively,alon straight lines. I

3. A universal joint including spaced disks, flexible cords fixedlysecured to the disks and ex; tending in one direction of rotation there'between, independent flexible cords secured fixedly to the disks andextending in another direction of rotation therebetween, .all of saidelements extending, respectively, along straight lines, and a unitarycarrier of flexible material in which said flexible members areembedded. j

4. A universal joint including spaced driving and driven disks, aunitary transmission element formed as a cylindrical body of hyperbolicform in cross section and consisting of non-metallic flexible membersextending from one side of the cylin-- drical body to the other and inopposite directions ,of rotation, said members cross ing each other atpoints between the disks and extending, respectively, along straightlines, and means to secure the cylindrical body along its periphery tothe respective disks alon their peripheries.

This specification signed this 22d day of-December, A. D. 1919.

ALEXANDER GRISWOLD HERRESHOFF. AUGUST H. LEIPERT'.

non-metallic transmission

